Collapsible stove



Qct. R, o LAW COLLAPSIBLE STOVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 17, 1967INVENTOR- RUSSELL O. LAW

ATTORNEY Oct. 22, 1968 R. o. LAW 3,406,679

COLLAPS IBLE STOVE Filed July 17, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

RUSSELL o. LAW

WcOM A'I'TOIRNEY United States Patent 0 3,406,679 COLLAPSIBLE STOVERussell 0. Law, 2231 57th Ave., Oakland, Calif. 94605 Filed July 17,1967, Ser. No. 653,877

8 Claims. (11. 126-262) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A single sheet offolded material having two leg portions and a perforated depressedcenter section. The sheet can be unfolded to engage and support a can offood and a heating element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present inventionrelates to portable stoves and more particularly it relates to adisposable portable stove which can be secured to the side or the bottomof a can for storage until use.

Description of the prior art Although the prior art relating to portableand collapsible stoves has been carefully searched, no reference hasbeen discovered which teaches a stove having the simplicity anddisposable nature as herein disclosed, The closest prior art devicewhich has been observed on the market is a small stove carrying themarking I. W. SPEAKER, Milwaukee, Wis, and entitled The SpeakerHeatab-Cookit. This device is a small stove which can be folded into arectangular box configuration having dimensions .approximately 3" X 4" XIt has a generally flat perforated bed, or heating element platform,supported by two legs which are pivoted to each end of the flat bed. Thelegs can be rotated to lie parellel the flat bed or rotatedperpendicular to the bed to form supports for a cooking vessel. The legsin conjunction with the fiat bed form an H configuration with the twolegs forming the vertical sides of the H and the flat bed forming thecross bar. The construction of this stove permits it to be folded into abox within which spare solid fuel heating tablets can be carried.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a collapsible stovewhich comprises a single sheet of folded material having two legportions and a depressed perforated center section disposed between theleg portions, the leg portions being foldable against the centersection. The proportions of the stove, and its inherent structuralconfiguration, permit it to be secured to a can of food for storageuntil use. When needed for heating the food, the stove can be removedfrom the can, unfolded, and engaged with the bottom of the can in theexpanded, ready for use, form.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to providea disposable cooking stove which can be secured to a can of food untilneeded.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsiblecooking stove which can be secured either to the side of a cylindricalcan or to a flat end or side thereof.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stove whichis small in size and which, when unfolded 3,406,679 Patented Oct. 22,1968 for use, actually engages with the bottom of a can when arrangedfor heating it.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cookingstove which could be disposed within a false bottom of a can of foodalong with one or more solid fuel heating tablets.

And still a further object of the present invention is to provide acollapsible stove which engages with the bottom of a'can of food so thatthe can may be hand held durin warming of the food.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a can havinga collapsible stove secured to a cylindrical side thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2--2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a collapsible stove of thepresent invention engaged with and supporting a can of food for heating;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom elevational view of FIGURE 3 showing the engagementof the stove with the can;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a collapsible stove of the present inventionsecured to the flat end of a can of food;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a can of food supported by thecollapsible stove of FIGURES 5 and 6;

FIGURE 8 is a bottom elevational view of the stove of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view in section showing an alternativeembodiment for securing a collapsible stove to a can of food within afalse cover.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference to FIGURES 1-4 of thedrawings will aid in understanding the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. There shown is a collapsible stove 11 which is madefrom a single sheet of folded material, preferably metal. A stove can bestamped, perforated, and folded in a relatively simple operation from afiat sheet of pliable material on the order of thickness of the materialused in large food cans.

The stove is formed with a pair of planar leg portions 13 and aperforated depressed center section 15 disposed between the legportions. In both contemplated embodiments of the stove, the legportions are foldable against or alongside the depressed or concavecenter section. In the embodiment of FIGURES 1-4, the depressed centersection 15 of the stove has a generally cylindrical curvature whichconforms to the outer configuration of the can 17 to which the stove isor can be secured. Different size stoves are used for different sizecans and are proportional in size.

The two leg portions are folded for securement to the can (FIGURES 1 and2) by bending them into a cylindrical configuration which fits adjacentor around the depressed center section of the stove. The leg portionsare folded around the center section so that the stove can be secured toa can by various means such as a strap 19, or by a label of the can, orby some sort of adhesive or other means.

To use the stove, it is simply necessary to remove it from the can andto bend the two leg portions away from the depressed center sectionuntil they are relatively parallel and project downward from theirconnection M V '(siniply' a fold in the material) with the centersection. The length and width of each stove must be made to suchproportions that when it is compressed by moving the two legs towardeach other in parallel relationship, the upper four corners 21 of thestove will lit within the projecting rim 23 of the unopened end of thecan (FIGURES 3 and 4). The pressure on the legs is released and thestove expands so that the corners thereof bear against the rim withspring pressure. This provides a relatively secure engagement. of thestove with most of the types of cans presently used by the canningindustry.

The stove, can be readied for use simply byseparating the stove from thecan, unfolding it, engaging the stove with the bottom of the can,inserting the solid fuel tablet 25 on the depressed center section, andsetting the assembly on a level surface. The stove can even be usedindoors or set upon a burnable surface and lighted without adverseeifect because the stove supports the burning fuel at an insulatingdistance from the surface.

A combustible solid fuel heating composition or tablet 25 is disposedupon the perforated portion of the depressed center section of the stoveunder the center of the can. The perforations and the curvature of thedepressed surface permit good circulation of air for excellentcombustion of the solid fuel element. It has been found that thecurvature or concavity of the depressed center section of the stovesupports the heating tablet in such a manner as to permit circulation ofair under the tablet if the tablets are of the cylindrical type and areplaced with a flat end downward. This provides better combustion than isobtainable with the cited prior art wherein the tablet is placed on aflat surface which prevents circulation of air under the tablet. Amultiplicity of tablets can be used for larger sized cans to provideincreased heating capacity.

After the food has been heated, at knife'or other eating utensil may beinserted between the can and the stove and the stove easily pried offthe bottom of the can and disposed of when it is convenient to do so.

The'emb'odiment of the invention shown by FIGURES 5-9 relates to a stovewhich can be secured to the flat end 27 of a can (FIGURES 5, 6 and 9) asopposed to the previously described embodiment of FIGURES 1-4 whereinthe stove is mounted on the cylindrical surface of the can. The secondembodiment of the collapsible stove is also made from a single sheet offolded material having two leg portions 29 and a perforated depressedcenter section 31 disposed between the leg portions. However, thedepressed center section is V shaped instead of cylindrical. The legportions are foldable against the center section as with the firstembodiment.

The center section is formed of two planar sections 33 connected attheir upper edges by folds in the material to the upper ends of the legsand the two planar sections are interconnected to each other by a foldin the material at the bottom of the center section. A cylindricalpellet 35 is placed therein on its side so that it does not slip andhave a flat end blanked against a planar side of the center section.

The leg portions and the two planar center sections can be collapsedaccordion-like into a generally fiat configuration for securement to theflat end of the can. The stove can be secured to the can by means of astrap as shown in FIGURE 5 or it can be secured in a false bottom 37 ofsome type, one of which is shown in FIGURE 9.A false bottom could bemade with enough space or height to contain one or more solid fuelheating tablets.

As with the first embodiment, the size and proportions of a stove havinga V shaped center section are dependent upon the size of the can thestove is used for heating. In each case, it is advantageous if the stoveis proportioned so that the I four upper corners 39 engage the rim 41 ofthe unopened end of the can. The height of the legs are determined bythe proportions selected for mounting the folded stoves on the ends orsides of the cans.

The present invention also contemplates a combination food container,cooking vessel and cooking stove which includes a cylindrical can offood having a removable end cover, either end of the standard can, and acollapsible stove which is formed from a single sheet of folded materialand has two leg portions and a perforated center section having either agenerally cylindrical curvature as described in the embodiment shown inFIGURES 1-4 or the V shaped configuration as shown in FIGURES 5-9. Thefirst described embodiment of the stove can be secured to thecylindrical surface of a can with the leg portions folded adjacent andaround the center section While the second embodiment of the stove canbe secured to theflat end of-a canwith the legs and center sectionfolded accordion-like to a flat configuration.

The present invention provides a unique advantage not found in anyotherheating stoves which have been observed in the prior art. This is thecapability of the stove to be secured to the bottom of the can so thatduring heating of the can, the can may be held'in the hand of the cookor consumer. In other words, it is not necessary to set the stove downduring heating or to remove the stove when the contents are beingconsumed. The stove maintains the proper relation and distance betweenthe fuel heating element and the bottom of the can at all times andkeeps the food Warm during the meal. As the solid fuel element burns, avery small amount of residue or sweating occurs on most heating tablets.This tends to secure the heating element in position on the depressedsurface of the stove and decreases the sensitivity of the stove to itsattitude or how it is handled by the person holding the can.

It thus will be seen that the present invention provides a relativelyinexpensive and completely disposable collapsible cooking stove whichcan be secured to a can of food having either cylindrical sides or afiat end.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of the invention inits preferred form that it will fulfill all of the objects attributablethereto. While it has been illustrated and described in considerabledetail, the invention is not to be limited to such details as have beenset forth except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible stove comprising a single sheet of folded materialhaving two leg portions and a perforated depressed center sectiondisposed between said leg portions said leg portions being foldableadjacent said center section for securement to the outer surface of acan.

2. The center section of claim 1 wherein said stoves are expansible toengage one end of a can.

3. The collapsible stove of claim 1 wherein said center section has agenerally cylindrical curvature and said leg portions can be foldedaround said center section so that said stove can be secured to the sideof a cylindrical can.

4. The collapsible stove of claim 1 wherein said center section is Vshaped whereby said leg portions and the center section can be collapsedaccordion-like into'a generally flat configuration for securement to afiat end of a can.

5. The center section of claim 4 wherein said center section is formedof two planar sections connected at their upper edges to the upper endsof said legs and said planar sections are interconnected to each otherat the bottom of the depressed center section.

6. A combination food container, cooking vessel, and cooking stovecomprising a cylindrical can of food having a removable end cover,

and

a collapsible stove being formed from a single sheet of folded materialhaving a pair of planar leg portions and a perforated and depressedcenter section having a generally cylindrical curvature disposed betweensaid leg portions, said stove being removably secured to the cylindricalsurface of said can with said leg portions being foldable adjacent andaround said center section.

7. A combination food container, cooking vessel, and

cooking stove comprising a can of food having a flat end and a removableend cover, and

a collapsible stove being formed from a single sheet of folded materialhaving a pair of planar leg portions and a perforated and V shapeddepressed center section disposed between said leg portions, said legportions and said planar center sections being foldable accordion-likeinto a generally fiat configuration and removably secured adjacent aflat end of said can.

8. The collapsible stove of claim 7 wherein a cover is secured to theflat end of said can enclosing said stove in a false bottom to said can.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,729 7/1906 Holsboer 126262 10FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner.

